After finishing the first round in seventh place, Arizona's Maria Baena picked up the pace yesterday, shooting a 4-under-par 68 to take the lead at the 1996 Pacific 10 Championships at the Raven Golf Club.

Baena, who started the day bogeying the first hole of the par 72, 6,002-yard course, eagled the No. 2 par 5 and finished the round with 11 pars, four birdies and one bogey.

"I'm pretty happy because I hit a couple of bad shots early," said Baena, a freshman. "But I did not have any double bogies like yesterday, and I think that was the difference today."

With the help of Baena, the fifth-ranked Wildcats (574) shot a combined score of 287 to extend their first-place lead over No. 9 Stanford (585) to 11 shots. The Cardinal ended the day at 288.

"We had some great performances," said UA head golf coach Rick LaRose. "They showed great determination and courage, and I think Christina (Tolerton), Heather (Graff), Maria, and Krissy (Register) all showed a lot of fortitude and got the job done."

No. 3 Arizona State stands at third with 588, while No. 1 UCLA is in fourth at 590, and Washington came in at 603.

The Wildcats had a great day all around. Register, who was at the top of the leader board after the first round, finished the day tied at second after shooting a 1-over-par 73. Stanford's Mhairi McKay, who was tied for second after one round, shot an even par to remain in the hunt for the Pac-10 individual title.

"I did not make as many putts as I did yesterday," said McKay. "Though I felt I was swinging well, I'll just keep on thinking about the course and not the other players."

Wildcat Heather Graff, who was the runner-up at this tournament last year, dropped two spots after shooting a 73, bringing her combined score to 143. With Graff holding the number four spot after two rounds, the Wildcats have a definite chance of winning the tournament.

"I think they played fantastic today," said UA assistant golf coach Tom Brill about the Wildcats. "They had a great team score on a very difficult course."

Sun Devil Kellie Booth rounded out the top five with a 73 on the day to bring her tournament total to 144.

"I did not hit well, but I chipped and putted really good today," Booth said. "Hopefully, tomorrow, my birdies will roll in."

12th-ranked Southern Cal improved on its first round 311, shooting a 303 to bring their total to 614, good enough for sixth. Oregon stands in seventh with 615, Oregon State is eighth at 634, Washington State (647) and first-year Pac-10 team California finished the day in tenth at 663.

The tournament concludes today with the first tee time at 8 a.m.